Letter to Reps from Mike's Uptown Liquor

Sorry about format. Greg

>>To: All representatives >> My name is Lisa Anderson, I have owned and operated Mike's Uptown Liquor >> in Hill City for 11 years. I am a Law abiding citizen who is very active >> in my Community and my local church. I am vice president of my local >> chamber of commerce and have always done a great job of keeping my >> business and personal life separate as I am also a single mother of two >> beautiful baby girls. I come from a family who was raised to take voting >> very seriously I believe we live in a great country that was based on >> FREEDOM! My business is down 36 percent, my family is suffering, my >> employees are suffering, their kids are suffering, my house DJ is no >> longer employed, and it is getting hard to pay the mortgage. I have 2 >> single mothers, a newly married mother with a baby on the way, a >> grandmother whose daughter and granddaughter live with her and another >> single women who lives alone, all scared of what we are going to do if >> things do not change (and only one of them smoke). Their hours have been >> cut, tips are down, and we are closing early. Our heat and electric bills >> have sky rocketed due to the doors opening all the time. I live in a town >> with a population of 469 people, when 75 percent of your customers smoke >> we are left pretty empty when they all choose to stay home alone and stay >> warm! I have not seen any non smokers coming out due to the ban being in >> effect just the opposite we see no one! I have never been on welfare but >> I guess free groceries, low rent housing, medical insurance, college and >> daycare for my kids won't be so bad, at least we have that choice since >> we have no others. As a property owner and taxpayer who votes every >> election and can not even decide what goes on legally in their own >> establishments, I suppose working hard all these years entitles me to >> that, just makes me feel horrible that I was raised to take care of our >> own, and not let others foot the bill for us. But since we did elect you >> our representives to take care of us, tell me what are you going to do? >> Why can we not have a room with four walls, where it is warm, with a >> couple tables where customers can sit with their cocktails and visit? >> Waitstaff need not enter if that is the issue. Or if you are out to >> protect all Minnesotans why are Minnesotans allowed to enter casinos? >> Because they are adults and can make their own decisions? Hmmm I guess >> that's only when other people decide you can make your own decisions! So >> in closing I am writing to ask you to please reconsider and give us hard >> working people of Minnesota a Choice, an alternative to losing everything >> we have worked so very hard for. >>> Thank you so much for listening to my story. Lisa Anderson >>> Sent from my BlackBerry® device from Cellular One